kitty companiona

kitty companiona

Friday, April 22, 2011

What a Sweet Mess!

Most of you who know me know I love chocolate.  And sweets.

Several weeks ago when I went to Ligonier for the get-together at Kathy's Kreations yarn shop.  One of the other ladies brought these amazingly yummy chocolate covered Easter eggs made by a small candy company in her home town.  They came in a variety of different interesting flavors.  One I really liked was fruit and nut (the healthy choice!  hahaha!!!)

I've always wanted to make Easter eggs and never tried them.  I went to the internet and found some recipes I thought would work for me.  I like easy!  One began with butter and Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, the other with butter and cream cheese and then you added flavoring and powdered sugar to both.  Since Eagle Brand is already very sweet, I went with the cream cheese so it wouldn't be overpoweringly sweet.  I bought dried pineapple and cherries.  There was already dried cranberrys and peanut butter on hand.

I chopped the fruit VERY fine, added 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2  of an 8 oz. block of cream cheese and then started pouring in the powdered sugar.  I worked it in with my hands until it became a stiff dough that no longer stuck to my hands.  The peanut butter eggs were made the same way but I added about a 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter.  Then I shaped my sugar dough into egg shapes.

When they were all shaped, I put them in the fridge to harden for a while.

Both recipes used chocolate chips for the coating chocolate with the addition of a little butter.  I had semi sweet, milk chocolate and some leftover white chocolate coating wafers.

Working with chocolate is an exact science.  It's tricky, at least for me.  I started out with a makeshift double boiler affair with two pans, thinking the water would keep the chocolate nice and fluid while I did the dipping. 

It started out fairly well.  Long ago I had bought this little loop-shaped device for dipping candy (in case I ever got the urge).  Did the eggs stay on the little loop?  No they did not!  Next I tried a two-tined fork.  Not ideal!  I tried a skewer, but that definitely did not work.  Back to the fork.  But it left holes in the egg!  I want pretty!!!  Oh well, time to settle for just OK.

I completed about eight decent looking eggs and then I slopped a few drops of water into the pan by mistake.  Voila!!!  Chocolate turns to concrete!!!  My chocolate had seized up and the party was over.

The eggs went back in the fridge and I made a new attempt the next morning.  This time with the white coating chips.  I used the microwave with no chance of splashing water.  Things went much better. 

Emboldened by success, I decided to try the other bag of chocolate chips.  For some reason the chocolate was not very melty right from the beginning.  I soldiered on, determined to finish and not waste any more chocolate.  I ended up with a nice batch of spiny looking eggs, but they taste good.

I only put the prettiest ones in the picture!  There are some REALLY lumpy ones.

How do the ladies at the churches make those hundreds of eggs and they all come out pretty???

Maybe I should become a volunteer....

Happy Easter, Everyone!

15 comments:

  1. They look good to me. I'm not a good dipper either, so your post made me feel better. (smile). I also can't get the cherry centered in the cherry surprises. Oh well, I bet your eggs taste yummy. I bought my easter treats - mini peanut butter cups. The bag keeps getting empty and my pants are tight. I cant understand it.....LOL Happy Easter to you, Zip and kitties.

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  2. They look so good! I love chocolate too! All kinds. Even the white...which they say isn't really chocolate.
    Happy Easter!
    Courtney

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  3. They look pretty darn good to me!!! The Easter bunny will be proud of you!!

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  4. Pat, I wouldn't turn my back on those chocolate covered Easter eggs. They look yummy and I don't see lumpy. They are hand made and so shouldn't look exactly the same. They are eatable arts.I would love to sample some right now even the so called lumpy ones. JB

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  5. They look beautiful! And yummy - What a great post - all about candy! I tend to wonder if they changed the chips somehow - I had the worst time last time i melted chocolate chips and went thru way too many bags - I had that "concrete" mix too and it wasn't from the water!

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  6. They look like something I usually see displayed behind glass in a candy shop! You did good! I haven't even been brave enough to try it. Thanks for letting me know that water will ruin a chocolate dip...

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  7. Pat,
    Those eggs look great to me! I don't do much in the fancy candy department as I'm usually the one covered in chocolate and not the eggs!
    LOL! They must taste divine!
    Happy Easter to you and Zip and all those little Bunnies! ( do they each get a Easter Basket with catnip toys and liver treats?) :-))
    Cathy G

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  8. Pat ~
    Happy Easter to you, Zip and the furbabies :)
    Oh, you are making me hungry for some chocolate. They look yummy to me!
    Pug hugs :)
    Lauren

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  9. well they look great.at Christmas I tried to make chocolates and my white chocolate seized up on me. It makes me made to throw it out. but you went on way more patience than I do.
    Happy Easter
    Cathy

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  10. What patience you have Pat.
    They look scrumptious though.
    A few more pounds going on I think.......
    Briony
    x

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  11. Wow Pat, I think they look fantastic!!!! As a certified chocolate and sweets expert (it has been my life's work) I can safely say those are amazing home-made eggs :-)

    About eight years ago myself and four girls from my bookclub made chocolate truffles for Christmas. We each brought a different filling and got together for the rolling and dipping session. Holy cow it was so difficult and we had hundreds of truffles to do...I've never made since - LOL!!!

    Happy Easter friend :-)

    Cat
    xx

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  12. Hi Pat,
    MY these look good! Who cares about fancy? As long as they are good this is what matters...I love Chocolate also....It could be a sickness really..teehee...Thank you for the sweet comments and words of encouragement you left...Happy Easter!

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  13. Pat, you are one of the bravest women I know - dipping chocolate! Your eggs look wonderful - sorry I'm not a registered taste tester!!! I'd love to eat some just to assure you that they are great. Happy Easter to you and yours.

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  14. Happy Easter Pat! to you and your family...

    Nettie

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